Mogadishu , Somalia -LRB- CNN -RRB- At least 15 people , including two members of Parliament and a deputy mayor , were killed Friday when militants attacked a hotel frequented by government officials in the heart of Somalia 's capital , police said .

The bloodshed began when a car packed with explosives blew up near the main gate of the high-profile Central Hotel , which is a few miles from Somalia 's presidential palace , Mogadishu police Capt. Hassan Abdi told CNN .

The explosion was followed by heavy gunfire between the attackers and hotel guards , witnesses said . Then came a second blast -- a suicide bombing carried out by a woman near a mosque inside the hotel -- as other attackers shot their way in , Abdi said .

`` I saw ... several people burned by the flames of the explosions lying on the blood-filled ground inside the hotel , '' said Mustaf Mohamed , who runs a small shop nearby .

Government ministers , members of Parliament , army officers and other officials often go to the Central Hotel . Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Omar Arte was among those inside at the time of the attack , having just attended traditional Friday prayers there .

He suffered minor injuries but survived , according to state media , as did Transportation Minister Ali Jama Jangeli .

But other prominent politicians did not make it . They include Parliament members Hajji Gafe and Ali Omar , as well as Mohamed Aden Guled , Mogadishu 's deputy mayor , Abdi said .

In addition to the dead , 20 others were wounded in the attack .

Al-Shabaab , an Islamist extremist group blamed for terrorist acts in Somalia and beyond over the years , claimed responsibility , Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab , a spokesman , said on militant-run Andulus radio .

Villa Somalia , the East African country 's equivalent of the U.S. White House , sharply condemned what it called `` today 's outrage . ''

The presidential palace tweeted , citing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud , '' #AlShabaab are un-Islamic and anti-democracy . ''

Since emerging in the mid-2000s , Al-Shabaab has been intent on taking control of Somalia , one of the world 's poorest countries , with a gross domestic product per person that ranks 226th out of 228 countries . Its militants have repeatedly targeted Somali officials , soldiers and institutions in the East African nation .

The group 's focus has broadened , especially since then-leader Ahmed Godane announced in 2012 that his followers `` will march with -LRB- al Qaeda -RRB- as loyal soldiers . ''

What is Al-Shabaab , and what does it want ?

The following year , Al-Shabaab carried out its most high-profile operation yet at the upscale Westgate Mall in Nairobi , Kenya . Shoppers were gunned down , held hostage and tortured . Four days later , the siege ended with as many as 67 dead and parts of the mall destroyed .

Al-Shabaab has never forgotten its home base of Somalia .

The Somali government , helped by allies including the United States and African Union , has managed to strike significant blows against the group , including a 2014 U.S. operation that killed Godane .

But Al-Shabaab has continued its campaign of violence in attacks such as a suicide blast last month on a Somali army convoy in Mogadishu , the bombing of a bus carrying Kenyan teachers in Galkayo , Somalia , and an attack on an African Union military base .

Journalist Omar Nor reported from Mogadishu , and CNN 's Greg Botelho wrote from Atlanta .

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Al-Shabaab was behind the attack , a spokesman for the group says

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Deputy prime minister suffered minor injuries ; 2 parliamentarians died

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Police say the attack involved a car bombing , suicide blast and gunfire